Youth Mentoring Connection

I started volunteering with Youth Mentoring Connection last year and it has been an amazing experience. The staff is reliable, fun and very genuine about what they do. The non-profit is one of the most organized non-profits I have ever worked with and the impact to the kids is really visible.

They are just wonderful, and I encourage anyone interested in youth development to get involved with the organization.

I started working with the YMC three years ago through my company. I must tell you that Tony who runs the program is absolutely fantastic. They match youths in need to mentors who are looking to give back and make a difference in the world. This program has allowed me to fulfill that dream. The sessions are heart felt and we develop a real connection to the youth we work with. For anyone looking to make a contribution beyond your regular day job I highly recommend this group. Thank you YMC for helping me to find an avenue to make a difference in the world!

YMC continues to make a positive impact in the community. Mentoring works!

I began volunteering as a mentor with Youth Mentoring Connection 3 years ago. My mentee and I still have a great relationship. YMC has an incredible track record keeping at-risk youth in school and productive. They have over 96% high school graduation rate, compared to less than 50% for the LA USD, and have ended 3 gangs! They create such amazing relationships between mentors and mentees, and among all participants. YMC's unique programs bring mentees to the work place, making it easy for people to be mentors and make a difference right where they work. It also creates relationships among the mentors, thereby creating greater connection among co-workers and increased job satisfaction. The program changes two lives...both the mentee AND the mentor and I am forever grateful for my experience.

YMC continues to serve the underserved with integrity and devotion. They bring the urban youth of LA into a circle of guidance and love that cannot be gotten anywhere else, changing and saving lives.

I joined the program as a mentor from 2010-2011. I recently had to stop mentoring because my schedule changed. As I get to look back...I noticed that not only my mentee(a 12 year old teenager matched with me) has changed throughout the program but also myself. Thanks to the group and one-on-one meetings I have noticed the importance of being present, of showing up for what really matters, of enjoying the simplest things in life such as nature and the sun. I have gained motivation for my own life by showing ongoing support for my mentee. The match was also great, I was able to see the problems that my mentee had in my own childhood/adolescent period. I thank Youth Mentoring Connection for keeping up with the amazing work that they do and I invite you to join as a mentor, you won't regret it :)

I joined YMC in October 2009 and was paired with a great 6th grader, who a year and half later, I'm still mentoring. This program is both rewarding and eye-opening. Stepping away from my busy work life to appreciate the simpler things in life has been inspiring to me and others. It's also a great time be a kid again and experience all that Los Angeles has to offer outside of our neighborhood.

Youth Mentoring Connection provides us the opportunity to connect with underserved youth from local Los Angeles neighborhoods.

For us, the adults, YMC provide the support that allows these mentoring relationships to grow. It is especially rewarding that mentor and mentee couples can continue to build on their relationship from year to year and the adults can follow through and support their mentee as they tackle the challenges of college and beyond.

Youth Mentoring Connection makes it all happen, providing a consistent support structure that many of these kids have not experienced before.

Youth Mentoring Org is a wonderful group with a dynamic leader, encouraging at-risk youth to stay in school and introducing them to the corporate world of business in a fun and stimulating way. Mentors work with "mentees" both a one-on-one and in group sessions filled with enthusiasm and thought-provoking exercises. I recommend this group highly.

I became a volunteer with YMC in 2010 and couldn't be happier with the program they organize.

The organization is very supportive of both the young adults and volunteers in the program and while many serious things are discussed, there is always a sense of caring and joy about the program and all the organizers in the program.

I personally have learned a lot more about myself during the program and I truly appreciate the time and effort the organization puts in especially by ferrying our young mentees to our work place every other week.

And my young mentee and I have developed a strong relationship and I've seen her grow a lot in the year we've been hanging out - a lot of which is down to the support from all the organizers in the program encouraging these adults to always do better.

I recommend this organization to all my colleagues.

Volunteering for the mentoring program is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. The kids, coming from backgrounds we usually only glimpse through our TV's, are truly inspirational and fun to be around. The program incorporates many different activities to get the kids to open up and find their voice. Many of them arrive with no belief in themselves, no confidence and almost broken by the disappointment of their young lives.

Through the program you see them transform and grow ,start to believe in themselves and that they can achieve as much as the next person with hard work, dedication and ambition. This is truly down to the amazing and caring leadership at YMC.

This is a wonderful organization which provides life guidance to an extremely under-served group in our city (Hispanic and African-American teenagers). Their non-judgmental, peer-to-peer, real life language methodologies reach their client base. They provide such a needed outlet for these young adults who so badly need an alternative to "hanging out on the corner" or otherwide get into trouble.

I volunteered to be a mentor through the YMC program at Warner Bros. My experience has far exceeded my expectations. The kids we work with really reflect the accomplishment of YMC's mission - no matter what their circumstances in life they are happy, focused, goal-oriented, moving forward and bettering their lives and the lives of their families, committed and fun to be with. Our meetings every two weeks include one-on-one time as well as great exercises to get to know one another and to understand ourselves and each other, learn self-expression, and develop our own skills. I adore the mentor they matched to me, which also shows YMC's knowledge and experience. The staff is resourceful, supportive, intuitive, dedicated and authentically loving. This is a blast!

I volunteered for YMC through my company. I'm very impressed by their committment to betting the lives of young people in our area. The interaction with understanding adults works wonders to open up these kids' eyes to a brighter possible future that awaits them.

So far I've had very limited experience with this non-profit, but all indications are that they truly care about helping the community and all stakeholders appear to be 100% engaged.

Youth Mentoring Connection is a life saving and sharing organization.

I volunteered there years ago and still support because of the amazing transformation I've seen.

I still have a very active relationship with both of my mentees and it's all because of the great bonds the Youth Mentoring Connection creates.

Erica is now a sophmore in college with two partime jobs.

Terri is a Junior in High School getting ready to for college.

Both of their older sisters became teen mom and are struggling everyday.

If Erica and Terri would not have had YMC, they may have gone down that path too.

Their reality is a testament to the work YMC does.

Please support them

After working with YMC for many years I'm proud to be on their Leadership Board. Here's why:

The work exceptionally hard to connect at-risk teenagers from South LA with committed and caring adult mentors.

Their internal leadership is inspirational and a powerful force in our community.

In short, they care; About the kids, their mentors and their staff.

YMC is a community in every sense of the word, one that I'm proud to be a part of. My experience with YMC has been pleasant and rewarding. There is a clear apprehension when first starting with the program, but the staff are the best at what they do and they are always there to reassure and support both the mentees and mentors. They also work very hard to organize sessions and events. That makes things so easy for mentors. We just show up and participate. Put simply, the mentors would have a difficult time trying to mentor if it weren't for the YMC staff. The staff, with their unwavering dedication, inspire me.

My partner is a YMC mentor. I have seen what it has meant for both her and her mentee to have a close-knit and committed agency working to build lasting community and friendships. The group sessions, where all of the mentors and mentees come together to talk and share, has been emotional and rewarding for my partner. Personally, I have been pulled into the orbit of YMC, meeting mentees and mentors and learning things about my city and its youth and making friends that I would never have otherwise.

YMC maximizes all of its resources and donor volunteers to truly serve its mission. The staff is incredible and, most importantly, the work they do is inspiring and amazing. YMC makes sure that those that too much of society overlooks are given a voice. Mentoring is one of the most powerful things you can do as a volunteer, so give or get involved with YMC!

YMC may not be the biggest charity, but it is one that puts its heart into every step taken to help youth. I have been a mentor for over a decade with them, and a board member for three, and never have I seen a harder working, bigger-hearted group of people. The kids they serve are not numbers or even just names--they are souls to be nurtured and seen and helped to come through the difficult times into a new sense of self, confidence and esteem. My mentee, Daisy, has gone from a painfully shy, awkward, quiet, scared teenager to a confident leader who sees the future as a positive opportunity instead of something to be dreaded. Ask her about YMC and she will say this group changed her life in ways that cannot be described.

YMC provides a much-needed service to the youth in our community - giving them structure, support, guidance, and a sense of family. As a mentor, I can say that I benefit a lot from the experience, too!

I have been participating as a mentor in the Children's Hospital program at YMC. My mentee is the most amazing boy, full of energy and potential to overcome the obstacles that face him. Youth Mentoring Connection is the real deal, helping children and teens all over Los Angeles. A few weeks ago, I took my mentee hiking and as we were walking he began to open up to me for the first time, sharing some heavy stuff that kids go through nowadays. I felt honored that he trusted me and our bond deepened. I look forward to our time together and watching him grow. Thanks to YMC, his life has been touched, as has mine.

I'm a mentor at Youth Mentoring Connection. I volunteer my time with kids "at risk". I have a twice a month obligation with the group mentoring and one-on-one but I usually see my mentee on a weekly basis. His name is Alex and he is 15 years-old. I encourage him to follow his dreams and goals, do better in school and I also guide him in his personal life. I learn a lot from him, and I found that we have a lot in common. :) I want to see Alex, as well as other mentees at Youth Mentoring Connection receiving mentoring and having an opportunity to further advance themselves to the best of their potentials. Great program!

I have been a mentor with YMC for 6 years. During this time I am lucky enough to have only 2 different mentees. I have been mentoring Brittani now for over 5 years. This experience has changed both our lives tremendously! I have seen so many of these teens do amazing things through the support of YMC Staff, mentors and donors. This is a truly unique and impactful organization.

I have volunteered as a mentor with Youth Mentoring Connection for the past 8 years, working directly with 5 youth mentees during that time. I witnessed a young man become the first person in his family to ever graduate from high school, a young woman try to come to terms with an incarcerated father, two mentees dealing with the death of a parent and a teenager learning how to be a mother to her own child. The support each of these young people felt just being a part of the YMC community was paramount to their personal growth.

The impact Youth Mentoring Connection has on the youth as well as the adult mentors is immeasurable. YMC is a true blessing to society and I cannot imagine my life apart from them.

Hello, my name is Valentina and Iʼm stealing from a Los Angeles non-profit organization. There it is. I said it. Iʼm stealing from Youth Mentoring Connection. Each week I get much more than I could ever give as a Mentor of this unbelievable organization. I should have to pay. OK, a volunteer is a volunteer after all, but the benefits of being a Mentor are astounding and humbling so, yes, in a way I am stealing.

When I moved to Los Angeles almost 5 years ago, I came in pursuit of my dream as an actor. What became evident within 5 minutes was that I was in an industry that cared more about the “me” than the “we”. So I began looking for a place where I could establish Community and keep my sanity. All roads lead to YMC.

I went to the “Mentor/Mentee match-up mixer” with a sense of both intrigue and hesitation. It turned out to be a bowling event where Mentors and Mentees could find one another organically (much like a dreaded singles mixer, p.s.). Once I started talking to the young people though I was wooed by their intelligence, sincerity, and willingness to be who they are. Among all the “available” Mentees, there was one that stood out. She was loud and bossy, insecure and bright. I said to myself, “That girl scares me...please let me get paired up with the shy girl in the corner instead.” Nope. Didn't happen.

Mariela and I were destined for one another. We were matched up before we ever met, matched up from the moment both of us signed up to be in the Mentoring program. She reminded me of me at that age, a loud, bossy, insecure kid with wild light in her eyes.

Four years later Mariela and I (“Marientina”) are still going strong. No longer a McDonaldʼs-obsessed 12 year-old with scant interest in school, Mariela is now a beautiful young woman involved in organic cooking and excited about her future. We are mirrors for one another. She is a “little Buddha” who constantly speaks with such clarity and honesty that I have no choice but to fess up and deal with myself. We donʼt judge one another, we question. We donʼt criticize, we recommend. We donʼt blame, we thank.

There is a saying at Youth Mentoring Connection: once you have met the young people, heard their stories, felt both their heartache and their joy you have officially “drunk the Kool-Aid” and you will never be the same. Well, I drank it, folks, and now I brush my teeth with it, bath in it, and add it to my coffee in the morning.

So I am here, coming clean, and thanking Youth Mentoring Connection for generously allowing me to drink the Kool-Aid, year after year, without paying a dime.

Amazing program that really makes a difference in the lives of both the mentor and mentee. It also strengthens the bonds between two different communities as well as the friendships between me and my coworkers.
I have completed one year with YMC and am getting geared up for another. I am so glad to have my mentee come back to the program with me for another year.